“It’s as if he’s looking for something,” Woodcutter said.
The trail continued to move in a zigzag fashion through the biome, covering more of the stinking, murky area until their path finally led straight out of the swamp and toward the neighboring forest. Gameknight was glad to be out of decaying environment. Seeing the slow rotting of the biome felt like watching the gradual destruction of something that had once been strong and vibrant, but all that was left of that landscape was lifelessness … it was oppressive. When they reached the edge of the swamp, they all felt a sense of relief.
Gameknight was glad to leave, but he still couldn’t quite put his finger on specifically what he had felt in the swamp. He glanced at Empech and gave him a questioning look.
“Empech felt it as well,” the tiny gnome replied as if he heard the unspoken question. “Something tears at the fabric of Minecraft, yes, yes, killing that biome. Empech is sure that swamp will soon strain to point of bursting, perhaps into flames … it is unclear.”
“I’m just glad we’re out of there,” Digger said softly. “That place reminded me of terrible things.”
And then Gameknight realized that’s what he was feeling. The suffering of the swamp was making all of his uncertainty and fear of failure bubble to the surface and slowly erode his courage.
“Me too, Digger,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied. “Me too.”
“The firefly forest will be a welcome relief, yes, yes,” Empech said in his high-pitched squeaky voice.
“Is that was this biome is called?” Crafter asked.
The pech nodded his oversized head, then smiled at one of the fireflies as it flittered about before the gnome. The golden glow from the tiny insect cast a beautiful halo around the little gnome’s gray face.
Gameknight noticed there were glass jars hanging from the trees or sitting on wooden posts all throughout the forest. Each held a glowing insect that shone beautiful rays of light on the forest, adding a splash of yellow color to the already verdant landscape. Everyone in the party breathed in the fresh, woody fragrance of the forest and felt rejuvenated as the oppressive stink of the swamp slowly oozed away from their senses.
“Come on,” Stitcher said, “it’s time to make up for lost time. Now we run.”
Herder said something to the wolf pack leader. The animal gave a growling bark to the other furry creatures, then they all loped ahead, moving like silent white specters.
The rest of the party ran after the wolves, each scanning their surroundings for threats. But as they moved through the forest, Gameknight had the feeling they were hurrying toward some new threat that waited for them ahead—he just wasn’t sure what it was. As with all the other monsters in the Twilight Forest, it was likely they wouldn’t see the threat until it was already upon them, and that’s what worried him. But there was nothing he could do about it now.
CHAPTER 12
POKING THE BEAST
Entity303 yanked on the rope leading to his prisoner, causing the young boy to stumble and fall to the ground.
“Get up, fool,” the villager growled. “You’re too slow, speed it up.”
“I’m going as fast as I can,” Weaver replied. “I’m getting hungry and my health is dropping.”
He stopped and rolled his eyes at the NPC.
“Fine, eat this.”
Entity303 tossed Weaver a couple pieces of meat. The young boy knelt on the ground and allowed the beef to flow into his inventory. Then, he pulled them out with his hands, though his arms above his elbows still tied to the side of his body, making eating difficult.
“How about you untie me so I can eat?” Weaver asked.
“Ha! Not likely.”
Weaver sighed. He held the meat in one hand, then leaned over so that it could just make it to his mouth. After the first bite, he gobbled the rest in seconds.
“What is this biome?” the boy asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Entity303 sneered. “Of course not, you fool. This is a firefly forest biome. It’s a common one in the Twilight Forest mod. But you had no idea how to get into this mod. Only Entity303 has this knowledge; the rest of you villagers are clueless.”
Weaver growled at the insult, then sniffed at the meat. “This isn’t beef; what is it?”
Entity303 smiled. “It’s venison.”
“Venison, I don’t know what that is,” Weaver replied.
“You remember those innocent deer you saw a while back, before I went off to collect my last piece of Yeti fur?” Entity said with a grin. He put his square stubby fingers to his head like antlers and moved about as if he were a deer, then laughed.
“No …” Weaver said, a horrified expression on his face. He tossed the remaining pieces of meat onto the ground. “Those creatures were harmless.”
“And delicious.” Entity303 laughed. “Not eating that meat won’t bring those pathetic deer back to life, villager. When you’re hungry enough, you’ll eat, so pick those up or next time I’ll let you starve for a bit.”
Weaver scowled at the user, then stepped forward and allowed the meat to disappear back into his inventory again. Once his health recovered, the pair continued through the firefly forest.
Glowing insects buzzed about in glass jars all throughout the forest, the tiny insects seemingly happy in their transparent enclosures. Speckled canopy trees stretched high up into the air, their wide branches reaching wide enough to blot out the twilight sky. Entity303 led them through a small grove of blue, glowing flowers, the petals giving off a magical-looking particle effect. Ignoring their beauty, the user purposely stomped on the flowers as he ran through the field.
“What’s that up ahead?” Weaver asked.
Entity303 glanced in the direction the villager gestured. From between the trees, a gray tower stretched upward, far above forest’s leafy canopy. It was a cluster of square buildings that rose maybe a dozen blocks into the air until they split apart, forming more towers that loomed high in the air. Walkways stuck out from the main body, with towers rising from those, creating a complex series of buildings that all rose to different heights. But at the core of the stone-brick structure was a central tower that loomed high above the rest, stretching so far up into the air that the top was difficult to see.
“That’s our destination,” Entity303 said. “This is gonna be fun.”
He ran directly to the base of one of the towers, then stopped and pulled out a crafting table.
“What are you doing?” Weaver asked.
“Just be quiet, fool and let me work.”
Entity303 reached into his inventory and withdrew multiple pieces of Alpha Yeti fur. He placed them onto the bench in the proper pattern, creating a set of leggings, boots, a chest plate, and a helmet. Removing his iron armor, the user put on the newly formed materials. The yeti armor was white with a single horizontal blue stripe on each piece. They glowed with a magical enchantment, giving off an iridescent purple glow that lit the surroundings with a flickering radiance. His helmet boasted six horns, three on either side, just like the Alpha Yeti.
“Finally, I have this armor,” Entity303 bragged. “Do you have any idea how many Alpha Yetis I had to destroy to get all this fur?”
“You’re a monster,” Weaver accused. “Those creatures were just innocent bystanders.”
“So what,” the user snapped.
He reached into his inventory and pulled out two bottles, each with a different-colored potion. He held them out to Weaver.
“Drink.”
“What are these?” the NPC asked.
“Just do as you are told and drink!”
“They could be anything,” Weaver complained. “How do I know you aren’t trying to poison me again?”
The user pulled out the green tipped arrow, the honey-thick coating oozing off the tip and falling to the ground, sizzling as it charred the grass. He brought it to Weaver’s face, the sharp, venomous tip just an eyelash’s length away from his bright blue eyes.
“The name’s Weaver,” the NPC growled, trying to sound brave. The fumes from the poison stung his eyes, making square tears flow down his flat cheeks.
“Ha ha ha, the villager is crying in fear.” Entity303 put away the arrow, then leaned close to his prisoner. “Make no mistake about it: if you disobey me or slow me down, I’ll give you something to fear … my wrath.”
The NPC took a nervous swallow.
“Now drink!”
The user put the bottle to his mouth and drank the first potion, then uncorked the second and gulped it down. Entity303 then took two potions for himself and drank. Instantly a set of blue swirls appeared around his body, followed by a set of green swirls from the second potion.
“What were those?” Weaver asked.
“If you must know, they were potions of swiftness and leaping,” Entity303 explained. “We’re not here to defeat these monsters, just to wake them up a bit. Now follow close if you want to survive.”
Before Weaver could reply, Entity303 pulled out a pickaxe and sprinted to the side of the gray tower. He broke two of the blocks with the pickaxe, then pulled out his yellow-glowing sword and entered the tower. Instantly, a pair of zombies fell on him, their sorrowful moans echoing off the barren stone walls. He kicked at the closest monster, driving it back while he went to work on the second. Landing successive hits on the zombie, it disappeared quickly, leaving its comrade all alone. Before it could try to run, the user slashed at it, quickly destroying its HP. The decaying green monster disappeared with a pop.
Entity303 pulled Weaver all the way in, then sealed the opening with fresh blocks of stone.
“We’re going to the top of this tower,” Entity303 said. “Stay close for your own sake.”
The user dropped the rope, allowing the villager to follow on his own. Entity303 smiled; he had no doubt the NPC would follow. If he tried to run away, with his arms still tied to his side, he wouldn’t stand any chance of survival. And by the look of fear on the boy’s face, the user could tell the villager knew this as well.
Gripping his sword firmly in his hand, the user ran through the next doorway, followed by Weaver. They found a skeleton or two in there, but with the speed potion and their ability to leap up the stairs, the skeletons’ arrows never came close. As they moved up into the tower, a darkness deeper than midnight on a cloudy night enveloped the stairs. Quickly, Entity303 pulled out a potion of night vision and drank it. He then held one up to the villager’s lips. This time, the boy drank it without objection. Instantly, the shadowy tower changed, the details in the dark recesses becoming visible.
They continued up the stairs, leaping over places where the stairs were missing and knocking monsters off the narrow walkway as they went.
Hopefully, some of Gameknight999’s friends will fall through those holes and get hurt … or worse, Entity303 thought.
They reached a level where a half dozen skeletons, if not more, were waiting. A spawner was set in the ceiling, the glowing embers within lighting the spinning shape of a new monster about to be created. Entity303 destroyed a few of the monsters, just to reduce the arrows that would be following them. His attacks made the creatures angry. Good, they’ll be ready for my pursuers.
As they climbed the stairs, more monsters attacked, some incredibly strange and ferocious, but with their enhanced speed and leaping ability, the vicious creatures were not a real threat.
Finally, Entity303 could see the topmost part of the tower. A wooden ceiling, with glass blocks inset, stretched across the tower overhead. Through the glass, he could see a skeleton-like creature clothed in a purple robe moving about. Countless works of art were visible through the glass floor; paintings he’d seen a million times in Minecraft. That skeleton was their objective.
Pulling out some blocks of dirt, the user created a barricade behind them, to keep the monsters below from interfering with what he had to do.
“You need to stay really close to me now,” Entity303 said to Weaver. “This is where it gets dangerous. We’re about to face a friend of mine, the Lich King. You’ll want to be careful and quiet.”
“The Lich King? What are you talking about?” the boy exclaimed. “All those monsters back there weren’t the dangerous part?”
The user laughed.
“Up there is the king of this castle … the Lich King,” Entity303 explained. “He is a magical skeleton with many tricks up his sleeves and is a dangerous opponent. Well … not for me, but dangerous to your little friends that are chasing us. If you want to survive, you’ll need to stay close to me.”
Weaver took a nervous swallow and nodded.
They moved up the stairs to the top floor. Inside was the Lich King, a skeleton clothed in a purple robe that had intricate gold stitching along the edges and intricate golden designs on the back. The monster wore a crown of gold, with small green gems adorning the top. Shining golden shields revolved around the creature, making it seem impossible to hit. Blue smoke billowed out of its crown, only to quickly dissipate, creating a gray haze in the room that made the air taste acidic and smell of ash. In the creature’s hand was a wand made of bone, the end blackened as if burned by some kind of deadly magic. It flicked the wand at the pair, and what looked like an ender pearl streaked toward them.
“Back up, quick!” Entity303 shouted.
The blue-green ball streaked past them, trailing a line of sparkling particles. It hit the ground and exploded, a wave of heat flowing outward.
“We should get out of here,” Weaver said. He moved toward the stairway again, but his captor grabbed the rope and pulled him close.
“Not yet,” the user replied.
“You dare enter my tower?” the Lich King asked. “Shadows … get them!”
Just then, two more skeletons appeared, each seeming identical to the Lich King, though they didn’t wear robes and their bones were completely black. It was as if these were the King’s shadows, though they were equally as deadly as the Lich King himself. The Lich shadows flicked their wands at the intruders, launching more explosive attacks. Entity303 and Weaver easily avoided the attacks by speeding to the other side of the room.
The evil user pulled out his bow and fired an arrow at the painting nearest the Lich King. It struck the portrait and shattered it, causing the frame to fall to the floor.
“No!” rasped the king.
Entity303 fired another arrow at a different painting, then chose another target, and destroyed it as well.
“My paintings … NO!” the Lich King screamed.
The user put away his bow and stared at the monster.
“Those who are currently pursuing me told me to do that,” Entity303 lied. “Tell those who follow that I’ll be with the Snow Queen, waiting for them. There’s a trophy there that needs collecting.”
The Lich King snarled and fired a glowing orb at them. The user quickly stepped aside and let the ball of destruction slip past him, hitting a wall. The explosive blast knocked a few more paintings to the ground.
“OK, now that they’re angry, it’s time to go,” Entity303 said.
He streaked back to the stairs, dragging Weaver along with him, though the NPC needed no encouragement. More explosions rocked the chamber as they fled down the stairs.
The user directed Weaver into a side passage that led into one of the small towers that stuck out from the side of the main structure. He quickly shattered the blocks he’d placed on the stairway, giving the monsters full access, then sprinted into the small tower.
“Why did we do that?” Weaver asked.
“I want those monsters nice and furious when your friends get here,” Entity303 said.
“So we’re just gonna wait here for them?” the boy said hopefully.
“Ha! Of course not, you fool. We’re leaving.”
“How? The monsters block all the stairways. If we go back down there, we’ll be destroy
ed.”
“We aren’t going down the stairs, villager,” Entity303 said. “We’re flying out of here.”
“What?”
The user laughed again, then broke open the side of the tower, creating a large opening. Then he removed his yeti chest plate and put on a pair of gray wings.
“You better hold on tight if you want to live,” Entity303 told Weaver.
“What are you gonna do?” the boy asked, sounding worried.
Instead of replying, Entity303 just yanked on the rope, pulling Weaver close to him, then jumped out of the opening. The pair plummeted toward the ground for a moment, but as they fell, the wings opened. When the Elytra wings caught the wind, they soared upward like a massive bird, skirting the tops of the trees. Behind them, Entity303 could hear the Lich King screaming in rage and the rest of the bloodthirsty monsters growling and snarling, anxious to destroy something soon.
Entity303 smiled, then flew toward the next monster he had in store for Gameknight999, toward the Snow Queen.
CHAPTER 13
THE LICH TOWER
The wolf pack leader returned from the looming structure and moved to Herder’s side. The animal’s body was rigid, its fur sticking out and its eyes burning red. The creature growled as it glanced back at the tower.
“Weaver’s trail leads right up to that gray tower,” Herder said. “The wolves can sense monsters … a lot of them.”
“Great,” Gameknight moaned.
“Great!” Stitcher exclaimed.
“But they can’t find any trail of them leaving the tower,” Herder added. “It’s like they went in and never came out.”
He gave her a scowl, then glanced at Empech. “Do you know anything about this tower?”
The gnome shook his head. “Empech can sense an ancient creature at the top of the tower, yes, yes. And he is not alone.” The pech moved around the cluster of canopy trees and stared up at the top of the tower. “The creature up there is very angry, yes, very, very angry. Empech can feel his rage through the fabric of Minecraft.” He turned and focused his sapphire eyes onto Gameknight999. “There is much danger here. Empech recommends caution.”
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